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Dear Colleague,
UNDER THE KIND PATRONAGE OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF HEALTH, QATAR
Third MENA Newborn Screening conference:
“Prevention, Screening and Treatment of
Developmental Disorders in the MENA region”
"A Healthy Start for Better Health and
Quality Life for Future Generations"
On the behalf of the organizing committee, I
have the pleasure of inviting you to attend
and participate in the third MENA Newborn
Screening conference “Prevention, Screening
and Treatment of Developmental Disorders in
the MENA region” to be held in Doha from
April 26-29, 2010 under the patronage of the
Supreme Council of Health, Qatar.
The aim of this conference is to strengthen
the infrastructure needed for expanded
newborn screening as well as screening for
developmental disorders beyond the newborn
period. In addition, to strengthen
opportunities for research collaborations
and soliciting opinions and creating
discussions.
This is one of the best forums for
networking with colleagues and experts in
the field. We urge you to join us in what we
expect and plan will be a stunning
scientific meeting and a memorable life
experience.
Doha is one of modern cities in the Middle
East that attracted numerous international
conferences and major events and we are
confident that you will find Doha a very
welcoming city and hope you find
satisfaction in the many attractions the
city has to offer.
It is our great pleasure to invite you to
participate in this international event and
to get to know the experience of Qatar
National Expanded Newborn Screening Program
and enjoy not only the state-of-the-art
academic activities but also the generous
hospitality Qatar can offer.
Sincerely,
Ibrahim A. Janahi, MD, FAAP, FCCP, FRCPCH
Chairman of the Conference
Doha, Qatar
Dear
Colleagues,
It is with great pleasure that we welcome
you to the 3rd Conference of the Middle East
and North Africa Newborn Screening
Initiative: Prevention Screening and
Treatment of Developmental Disorders in the
Middle East and North Africa Region.
We are delighted be part of this initiative,
which has brought together experts and
policy makers from around the world to
strengthen newborn screening (NBS) in the
region and to develop partnerships for
services, research, and research training.
We are especially grateful to the Supreme
Health Council of Qatar, under whose
patronage this conference is being held, and
to the Hamad Medical Corporation and the
Shafallah Medical Genetics Center for
hosting the conference. We would also like
to thank the many other agencies and
organizations that have helped sponsor this
event.
Recent advances in the life sciences and
technology are providing the tools to screen
for developmental disorders at birth or in
early childhood, thus preventing or
ameliorating life-long disease or
disability. Where NBS has been introduced,
it has had great impact on preventing the
disabling sequelae of many treatable
conditions.
This conference builds on the outcomes of
the previous meetings of this initiative.
The Marrakech Declaration, developed by the
participants of the first conference,
affirmed that NBS is a universal public
health priority for the region and
recommended that each country screen for at
least one condition. At the second
conference in Cairo, National Plans of
Action were developed to serve as roadmaps
to implement or strengthen NBS in the
region. With this 3rd Conference, we are
expanding the scope of the initiative to
include screening for developmental
disorders beyond the newborn period, which
are of great importance in all of our
countries. These include autism spectrum
disorders and other causes of developmental
and language delay.
All effective health interventions are based
on evidence that is obtained through
research. The National Institutes of Health
strongly supports the establishment of
collaborations to increase research on
developmental disorders in this region. We
view this conference as an opportunity for
the start of many new cooperative
activities. There is much we can learn from
one another and much that requires our
working together, particularly for rarer
conditions. Thus, I am especially gratified
to see that this conference has among its
key outcomes the identification of priority
areas for research cooperation in genetic
and developmental disorders.
We hope that the cooperative spirit
engendered at this meeting will be our
guiding principle as we bring together our
collective resources to meet the research
challenges that lie ahead. I wish you a
productive meeting and look forward to
hearing about the outcome of your
deliberations.
Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D.
Acting Director,
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of
Child Helath and Human Developoment
National Institutes of Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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